She’s Like The Wind - Patrick Swayze & Wendy Fraser
pairing: timeskip!tsukishima x fem!reader
synopsis: you find out your least favorite co-worker as a soft spot for you. how will you take this new finding?
details: oneshot, fluff, somewhat angst (not really), banter, Y/N isn’t aware that Tsukishima plays volleyball, Kaori & Yuki are your bsfs (they’re the managers for fukurodani), lowk cringe (fr), a scene based of picking daisies on sundays is in here, drinking, first time writing a love confession, college AU, workplace romance enemies to lovers ;)
WC: 7K Masterlist Navigation
You and Tsukishima admit that you both cannot stand each other. The banters, the arguments, the insults that sometimes hit too close to home.
You would take up a different job. But unfortunately—due to the fate of the God’s, you cannot. The museum is the closest place you can commute to and from your college and apartment.
So here you are. Working at the reception desk, handing people their tickets and saying “Have fun” On repeat. This isn’t a terrible job. On your break, you visit a cafe that serves the best pumpkin chai and cinnamon rolls. Your coworkers are kind and thoughtful.
All for the exception of one.
It started with you not liking him. You didn’t like his attitude, his wits, his comebacks, and the fact smiling just doesn’t seem to be in his vocabulary. He’s good to work with, but for some reason you cannot stand how bossy he can get sometimes.
As for Tsukishima, he doesn’t like your childish behaviour. How everything for you seems to be sunshine and rainbows. Your clumsiness bothers him, and the way you trip over your feet more often than he blinks.
You’re brought back to reality when a Mom and her son are at the front desk.
“Hello? Ma’am?” She asks and you immediately sit up straight.
“I am so so sorry! I was spacing out. How can I help you?”
“One adult ticket, one child ticket.” Her tone was somewhat annoyed. You feel yourself flush and ring her up.
The transaction is finished and you hand them both stickers that say, ‘I am a visitor’, you smile as politely as you can and say, “Enjoy the museum!” The woman nods and drags her son along.
“So you’re the reason less locals have been visiting us?” An all too familiar voice says and you groan.
You turn around to see a tuft of blonde hair, amber eyes, and glasses thicker than the planet earth. You feel yourself frowning at the sight of your unwanted colleague.
“Gosh. Don’t tell me you're working with me in reception, Tsukishima…” You groan in annoyance, and run your hands across your face. A horrible attempt to calm yourself down. Being around him makes your blood boil.
“Pleased to see you too.” He rolls his eyes, his voice monotonous. “Anyhow, yes. You’re actually right this time. The boss told me I had to work up here with you. It’s a slow day so might as well.” He pulls out a chair and sits right down next to you. He smirks, “I see you chose that ugly hair piece for today?” He comments and you roll your eyes.
“I see you chose your thick lenses. Tell me, can you see people waving at you when you look at a map?”
“No. But tell me,” He starts and leans in a little closer, “Does your boyfriend know he has horrible taste in accessories?” It was a low blow, but you play along and gasp in offense.
“He does not!” You defend
“Oh c’mon Y/N! Look at his choice of ties.” He laughs and you frown.
“Fine. If you’re such a fashion police, what’s up with your shirts? You were like..the same colored shirt everyday.”
“That’s not true. They’re all in 10 different colors. Green, blue, white, grey—”
“Okay! Shut up.” You groan, “You really should at least switch it up once in a while. I feel myself getting bored when I see your outfits.”
“It’s called minimalism. Something you don’t know.”
“I just choose to live a more extravagant life.”
“When was extravagant cheap $5 necklaces?”
You scoff, “I’ll have you know–”
“That’s enough from you two!” Your coworker yells from his office. “I can hear you two bantering from here. Shut up or else you're cleaning the floors tonight!!” He yells.
You’re both silent and you turn to face him. “This is what happens when you don’t know when to be quiet, Tsu-ki-shi-ma!”
“That’s it!” He screams and stomps out of his little room. “Y/N, Tsukishima, you’re both mopping the floors tonight! I’ll call the janitor and let him know he gets a night off.” He huffs and slams his door.
Now you’re both very silent.
“So, who doesn’t know when to be quiet, Y/NNN?” He drags out your name and you exhale hard. Resisting the urge to punch him.
It’s 11pm. You’re both tired and busy mopping floors. You drag the mop across the floor in slow motions before dunking it back into the soapy, dirty water.
“Almost done over here.” You hear Tsukishima yell.
“Same.” You reply and finish up the last of the tiled floor. The blonde man was mopping the dinosaur exhibition. Of course he was. His stupid dorky interests.
You poke your head around the corner and see him staring at the statue of a T-rex. His pupils dilated and you could see a hint of astonishment in his eyes. A child like wonder. Despite him seeing this room maybe a million times over. He tears his eyes off the T-Rex and looks at you. “Ready?” He asks and you nod.
You’re both walking back to the janitor's closet in silence—too tired to talk. You clean the remainder of the—now murky water, before walking back out. You groan as you both lock up for the night and are standing outside the now closed museum. “Shit..” You whisper and he glances down to look at you. “I missed my commute.” You run your fingers through your hair and sigh.
There was silence before he spoke up, “I can drive you home.” He offers and you look at him. Your enemy? Trying to do something nice for you?
“You can’t redeem yourself now Tsukishima. Gee, it’s fine. I’ll just call for a taxi–”
“I know you can’t afford a taxi at the moment, and you can sleep in my car,” He says and you look up to look at his expression, he continues, “I’d rather you sleep in my car than in a car with a stranger.”
You frown and nod. “Fine.”
The car starts up and Tsukishima turns up the heater. You lean back in the front and sigh softly. “What’s your address?”
“Hmmm…Just take me to the Hinageshi apartments.” You mumble, your eyes already feeling droopy.
“Alright.” And you almost miss it. The gentleness in his voice, the tone you’ve never heard him speak in before. He gets the car out of parking mode and backs out of his parking spot, then the parking lot, then you’re on the road.
You feel yourself getting tired then more the engine lowly hums and the warmth of the car. Is this Tsukishima’s divine plan? To make you fall asleep and kidnap you, maybe he’ll drop you off in the middle of nowhere?
Whatever. He can’t kidnap for the life of him. That itself is a hassle for him.
You let yourself succumb to the sleepiness within your body.
30 minutes pass and you feel your body jolt.
“Y/N?” He says and shakes you gently. You flinch and sit up.
You whine and look at the apartment building in front of you. Your apartment building.
So he isn’t gonna kidnap you.
“Thanks Tsukishima.” You mumble and grab your purse before opening the car door and stepping out. “Here,” You reach for your wallet but he quickly stops you.
“Why’re you paying me? Just get inside your place already.” He says and leaves the parking lot before you even blink.
“Ookay..” You mumble in confusion before walking up the steps that lead you to your small apartment.
For the next couple days, it’s the same. School, work, argue with Tsukishima, go home. Over and over again until the weekend. On Friday, your boyfriend finally has time off from work. So you decided that it would be a perfect day to spend the day together. Maybe go to that cafe you enjoyed, or explore this aquarium you found online. It’s been the highlight of your week. The thing you’ve been looking forward to besides going home.
‘Just wanna do something chill. Coffee sounds good.’ -smelly bf
The name is an inside joke. Anyhow, you agree for coffee and a sweet treat at 3pm.
You open the door and the bell above it jingles. The air consists of cinnamon and vanilla. A comforting smell. As you walk further inside you get to see all the students studying, the workers in the back bustling to take orders, and the gentle jazz music playing, creating a tender atmosphere. It couldn’t get better than this. You look around, for your boyfriend’s familiar face.
You turned a corner and there he was. Sitting in a booth, two steaming coffees on the table. He’s deep in thought, his left leg is bouncing up and down, and his hands are folded on the table. Like he’s waiting to be interviewed. Or worse, return with bad news. You stroll over towards him. He looks up and musters up a smile.
“Hey, Y/N.” Your boyfriend greets and you smile back.
You wave gently, “Hey!” You sit down on the seat in front of him and there’s silence. You gulped and decided to try and break the ice with something—-anything. “How has work been treating you? You’ve been telling me how busy you are lately.” You ask and look down at the cup of caffeine in front of you. The smell wafts towards your nose, but it smells sour to you. Unappetizing. Something in your gut was telling you something was wrong.
There was a long pause, before he sighs sharply through his nose and puts his elbows on the table, his chin perching on up on his palm. From this angle, he looked above you. Bigger. He clears his throat, “There actually…hasn’t been any work.” He says softly—lowly. He’s slow and hesitant with it and you tilt your head in confusion.
“What do you mean? You’ve been gone for almost a month because you’re drowning in work—”
“I mean yes there’s been work, but I'm not drowning in it like I described.” You furrowed your brows in confusion. Perplexed by his statement.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’ve been lying to you, Y/N” He mumbles sheepishly.
Your heart plummets to the ground but he continues to talk. He’s saying something about finding someone new, how he’s much happier now, and he wants to let you down easy. Your ears are muffling out his words and your eyes are stinging with tears. You can’t speak. The ball forming in your throat prevents you, but you force some words out.
“So– You’ve been..been- cheating? O-On me?” You stutter out pathetically. Your eyes trail up his face to look at him, trying to decipher his emotions. Maybe this was some kind of joke. A prank.
His eyes are low and downcasted, shame and guilt in his eyes. But when he walks out of this cafe he’ll feel like a weight on his shoulders got lifted off, while new weight is now resting upon your shoulders. He won’t feel guilt. Just relief. You will feel the opposite. What kind of world is this? You felt anger. And frustrated. Like you’ve been taken advantage of. Of your time, body, and space. You grit your teeth and stand up. You’re now the one above him. The one who’s bigger.
“You- You’re such an asshole! I–I did everything for you, am I that easily replaceable? Of course I am. Men like you are never satisfied, huh?!” You crash and point a finger at him. Everyone in the cafe goes silent, dead silent.
“Y/N- Don’t make a scene here–calm down. Let's talk outside—”
“Oh? No! You don’t tell me what to do! You aren’t my boyfriend anymore, right? So I hope you enjoy your pathetic—sad life with your new girl. I hope you’re happy–”
“Y/N.” A recognizable voice says behind you, stopping your rage rant. Voice low and soft, but still intimidating.
You turn around and face him. You didn’t care who you saw first. Your eyes swell up with tears and your lips form a deep frown. “Kei–” You say his first name. By accident. You're too drunk on emotions to realize, but he does.
“That’s enough. You’ve made your point.” He puts a hand on your shoulder. Tears stream down your face and Tsukishima looks at your—-now ex—-boyfriend. He just stares at him blankly and closes his eyes in annoyance. Like he can’t believe you dated someone like that. “Let’s go home.” He states and puts a hand on your lower back, guiding you to the exit.
You sniffled and he sighs. “I–I can’t believe, I got played like–like that.” You hiccup and let him drag you into his white car.
Tsukishima is silent as he opens the door to the passenger seat and you sit down without a word. Still hysterically sobbing. The blonde walks over to the driving side and settles on the leather seat. “Wanna go home?” He asks and glances over at you and you nod.
“Yeah, please.” You whimper out and he nods.
The whole drive is quiet while you cry silently. At a red light he hands you tissues, and you accept them. You blew your nose and wiped your face. You felt like a mess. You probably looked like one too.
This was the second time Tsukishima has taken you home.
He opens your car door and you shuffle out the car. You're wiping your eyes as he waits for you to come back to reality.
“Thanks, Tsukishima.” You croak out and there’s a pause before he continues with;
“Just call me Kei. No need to be formal anymore.” The blonde gives away softly. You look up at him in shock. “Why’re lookin at me like that?”
You shake your head. “No. Nothing. Thanks…” You pause, and you test the name out, “Kei.” It foreign to your lips, even though you’ve known it for exactly 8 months. You’ve only ever used his last name.
He blinks before nodding. “No problem. Need me to get you anything?” He offers and you shake your head. “Alright. Get better, okay?” He pats your shoulder with a warm hand before walking back to his car—
“Why are you being so nice?” You interject and he pauses.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he tilts his head, his eyebrows knit together—as if offended by your question. But you knew him. He doesn’t get offended by these things.
You pause and shrug, “Dunno. It’s…uncharacteristic of you. You’re worrying me.” You mumble and he snorts.
He smirks before opening his car door, “Just shut up and go rest already.” He sighs and climbs back into the driver's seat before driving off.
What a confusing dude. You think.
The next few days, you took time off of work. All your friends have been texting you. They’ve been wishing you well, and some door dashed you ice cream and food. You told all of them, of course. It’s times like these where you remember that despite one person stopped loving you, it didn’t mean others stopped too.
Take right now as an example. You’re two friends, Yukie and Kaori (and you of course) were sitting on your living room floor. You met them during your highschool years where you attended Fukurodani and they were managers for the volleyball game. All three of you guys drew closer together as a trio, and you even went with them when the tournament games were out of town. It was a blast.
All three of you guys were elbow deep in chip bags and a glass of champagne. You all laughed and giggled as you three discussed stories, memories, the current lives you three had, and of course—love lives.
“I just can’t believe that stupid boyfriend of yours could cheat on you, Y/N!” Yukie exclaims.
“I knowww” Kaori whines, already drunk on the alcohol. You shrug in response. You didn’t want to talk about him. But you knew for them, it was the champagne talking.
The overly dramatic reality show plays in the background and Yukie laughs wildly, out of nowhere. “Reminds me of the time where Kaori dated this deadbeat man in like—our first semester of college!” She hiccups and Kaori shoves her using her foot.
“Shuddup! He was a fluke. I don’t even count him as a boyfriend.” She hisses out and takes another sip from her glass.
You chuckle at the memory where the “man” (you three don’t even remember his name), broke up with Kaori. And Yukie made the two of you dance to ABBA that same night for 2 hours straight. Safe to say, Kaori got over it in a flash.
“Anyhoww…” Yukie swirls around the liquid in her cup and looks at you, her eyes low and playful. “What about that cute blondie you described to ‘dislike’ soo much?” She asks and takes a sip, but her eyes never leave yours.
“What are you guys talking about? There’s been nothing going on between us—”
“Maybe not for you,” Kaori says and pauses to hiccup before continuing, “But maybe for him, there’s something.” She gives you a knowing eye, and you flush.
You put two and two together. They think Tsukishima Kei likes you. The annoying, brooding, grumpy Tsukishima? “No way! You guys have the wrong idea.” You defend.
“Mhm. Girl, remember when you invited us to your work place party after that one coworker you had got married?” Kaori asks.
That was 3 months ago. You nod slowly, wanting for her to get to the point.
She continues, “Well, you wore, like, the cutest outfit ever. Like, you looked so perfect that night! Didn’t you say it was your ovulation week–”
“Get to the point Kaori!” Yukie hisses.
Kaori sighs, “Anyway! Yukie and I were getting drinks. And you were on the dance floor. Pretty sure your work rented a club that night and I’ve never seen so many people in one room like that before,” She pauses to take a sip of her alcohol before continuing, and you stayed quiet the whole time, waiting for her to continue. “We saw Tsukishima in the corner, like always, sipping on probably club soda–”
“And his eyes were locked on someone!” Yukie exclaims and interrupts her friend. But Kaori doesn’t seem to mind.
“On you, to be exact. You were hella drunk that night, and you were busting your ass on the dance floor.” Your eyes widened, Kaori grins, Yukie giggles.
You think about it. Tsukishima likes you. The Tsukishima who mumbled snarky comments whenever you walked past, or silly insults when you made a mistake. The one you argued with every time you stepped foot into work.
But the other version of Tsukishima. The one who drove you home when you couldn’t commute, the Tsukishima who drove you home again after that tragic break up 3 days ago. He had his hand on your lower back, gently whispering that it was going to be okay. And then he asks you to refer to him by his first name.
Nobody at work called Tsukishima by his first name, aside from your boss.
You take the possibility into gentle consideration and shake your head—stopping your train of thought before you spiraled out any further, “No–Nah, Nuh uh! Not in a million years–He was probably looking at a girl behind me, o-or next to me—”
“Girl.” Yukie started, “You were in the center of the dance floor. Everyone was like…circled around you!” How drunk was I that night? You think to yourself. “Who the hell else would he be looking at? I assure you, he likes yo–”
The two girls groaned. “Fine. But when he confesses, you owe both of us drinks for a month straight.” Kaori bets and you frown.
The night ended quietly. Your trio cleaned up the apartment till 11pm, then the three of you departed. Saying goodbye at the front door.
That night, you laid in your bed staring at the ceiling. Deep in the thought. What were the chances he did have a crush on you?
“Low.” You whispered into the darkness of the night, “Low chances.” Unfortunately, your estimation didn’t quite reach the universe.
The day after the next, you decide to come back to work. Everyone was so kind about your break, despite the museum being understaffed.
You were relaxing in your seat at the front desk, leaning back and waiting for people to start coming in. Thankfully, Tsukishima didn’t have work that day. So you could take a break from his comments.
It’s not like you could look at him the same anyway, after your friend's little theory the other night. You sigh and try to shake off the feeling.
You saw a delivery man start walking up to the glass doors and open them. He carried a cup from the cafe you loved. Your usual order. But you don’t remember ordering anything?
“Uhh..drink for..Y/N L/N?” He asks in confusion and looks up at you. You nod.
“Yes–yes that’s me.” You confirm and he places the drink on your desk. “Who is this from?”
The man clears his throat and reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the printed receipt, “From…Tsukishima Kei.”
You blink in confusion before nodding. “Oh…um…alright. Thank you.” The delivery man nods without a word before walking back to his car.
You stare at the drink. Coffee. The way you order it every single time. You take a small sip from the cup and sigh in relief. Tasteful and soothing. The way you remember it. You sigh in confusion and lean back.
“You’re confusing, Kei.” You mumbled and took another sip.
The next couple days went by with ease. The break up still stung a little, but you’ve been getting over it because you hated your ex now. Hating was easier than missing and dwelling.
You walk out of your morning college class, when you see Tsukishima leaning against the wall. He seems to be waiting for someone. He looks up and you make eye contact. He waves you over, you oblige.
“Morning.” He starts and you nod.
There’s an awkward silence before he continued, “Did you..get the coffee I ordered for you?” He asks and you nod.
“Yeah.” You chirp and smirk before nudging him playfully, “How come you know my order perfectly?” You tease.
There it is. The faintest tinge of red brushes his face. He darts his gaze away before clearing his throat, “You left your drink in the..break rooms’ fridge when you were away. It was old. I simply just took a picture of it. Knowing I might need it.” He says, so matter of factly, like it wasn’t anything new.
“Uh-huh.” You nod and raise a brow, “So, who ya waiting for, Kei? Ya crush?”
He shakes his head, “Actually, I was waiting for you.”
You two stand awkwardly together, side by side. Your shoulders brush against each other slowly as you two walk through the gates of your college campus.
“So you’re telling me, you got invited to this volleyball game. For free. And you invite me as your plus one?”
Tsukishima nods, “Yup. Good job following along.” He sarcastically adds and you roll your eyes.
You choose to ignore his comment and you ask him the question weighing on your mind, “How did you manage to get free tickets? I didn’t know you had connections like that.”
“Of course I have connections. I play pro.”
You pause and stare at him before adding on, “Pro what?”
“Pro…volleyball?” He answers like a question.
Your eyes widened, “Since when?!”
“Since like…2 years ago?”
You frown, “How come you never tell me anything about yourself!”
“Because you said you don't like me, you never asked what I did outside of work, and I don’t know how you haven’t seen me on any sports news outlet yet.” He responds and smirks at you as he crosses his arms, “You live under a rock.”
You frown, “Maybe, you aren’t as popular as you think you are.” You retort. Now it was his turn to frown.
“Whatever. Do you want to..accommodate me to this game?”
“That’s a big word, accommodate, do you know the meaning of that word?” you look at him from the corner of your eye in a teasing manner, placing your hands on your hips. He heaves a sigh.
“Do you want to come with me, or not?” He draws in a breath and raises a brow.
You nod, “I’d love to.” You reply sweetly.
The both of you walk into the gym, the teams already warming up to begin their match. You haven’t been to a volleyball game since high school. You try to follow Tsukishima through the ocean of seats, but you already lost your way. You look around in a panic.
“Y/N!” He yells, two rows above from you. You begin to pick up your pace and follow up right behind him. “Stay close to me, c’mon now.”
Once you both finally find your seats, you realize how much of an amazing view you both have. You can see both sides of the court, the players, and the entire gym. It was beyond astonishing.
“These are cool seats, Kei!” You try to talk over the loud yelling from the team, and he leans in closer to hear you. You catch a whiff of his earthy cologne and coconut shampoo that smelled oddly amazing paired together.
“I said, the seats are cool!!”
He pulls away from you and nods, “Yeah. I told you, I have really good connections.” He smirks and relaxes back into his seats.
You’re both watching the teams warm up. It was the Tamaden Elephants against the Penect Jaguars. The tension between the two teams was…playful. It was clear they both wanted this win just as badly as the other.
You decide to break the silence, “Soo, any reason why you invited me as your plus one?”
He shrugs, “Other…volleyball..mutual..somewhat friends invited their own significant others. So I just thought to bring you.” His eyes stay on the court though, never leaving. Examining. Assessing.
You pause and think about that, his words registering in your head. “Wait–what–?”
Before you could question any further, the game begins. The two teams lined up on each side of the court, bowing their heads, before running across the court to the net and giving the other team high fives underneath it, finishing with both teams wishing for a good game.
The match commences and the first serve goes, and the fierce rallies start.
The seats to the right of you are now filled. By two familiar men. You look over. And to your surprise, you see a recognizable explosive like hair with wide owl shaped eyes. And black hair next to him, wearing a chunky dark green sweater that complimented his frame.
“Bokuto, Akaashi?” You ask and poke your head over. The two men both look down to see you.
“Y/N!!” Bokuto practically yells and his eyes grow wider. “I haven’t seen you in forever! Where have ya been!” He says eccentrically. He gasps when he sees the familiar blondie next to you. “Tsukishima, my man!” He grins and waves. Tsukishima waves back, his face showing no indifference to see Bokuto. It didn’t surprise you that Tsukishima and Bokuto knew each other, they both played volleyball. And sports create a small world.
“Hello, Y/N.” Akaashi says in his usual polite way. You smile and wave back, reciprocating his tone.
“So how have ya been, Y/N! We haven’t seen each other since graduation.” He grins and you nod.
“I attend a college not too far from my work—which is now the museum–”
“No way! Tsuki, don’t you work at a museum!” Bokuto exclaims and your eyes lighten up at the nickname. You smirk and turn over to Tsukishima.
“Tsuki?” You repeat teasingly.
The blonde frowns. “Shut up.” He whispers at you. “Y/N and I work at the same museum actually. We’re colleagues.” Tsukishima answers Bokuto’s question.
“What about you Bokuto?” You question. “Where have you been lately?”
He grins and crosses his arms pridefully. “Well, I joined a pro volleyball team. It’s hecka fun and my teammates are so awesome–!” From that point on, Bokuto tells you about the places he’s been. The people he’s met. The moments where he felt like Superman. It entertained you.
You didn’t realize you two had been talking up until the 2nd match was halfway done. Just as Bokuto was going to continue speaking, Akaashi spoke up. “Bokuto, could you get me a soda?” He asks and the boy next to him pauses his conversation with you to look at the black haired man.
“Yeah!” He gets up and smiles at you, “Sorry Y/N. I’ll be right back.” He says and you nod.
“Sure thing.” You turn over to look at Tsukishima and he looks…agitated. His legs are in a manspread, his arms crossed, his head tilted back, and his eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong, is it the match?” You ask and he looks over at you through the corner of his eye.
“Well if you watched the match, you’d know. But I guess you were occupied with Bokuto.” Tsukishima says with annoyance and disappointment laced in his tone. Was he mad at you?
“Just nevermind.” He huffs and turns his gaze away from you.
You frown before focusing back on the match, “Did I piss you off something?”
“Alright…so why do you look and sound pissed. At me?”
“Just—be quiet. Please.” He huffs.
After a few minutes of silence Bokuto comes back with two sodas. “I got the drinks!” He hands one to Akaashi and sits back down in his seat.
“Thanks Bokuto.” Akaashi says.
“No biggie! Anyway Y/ N where were we–”
“I think Y/N wants a break from talking.” A sudden voice spoke up.
You glare at Tsukishima, he shrugs. “He doesn’t mean that. We can keep—”
“I mean she hasn’t even picked up a single thing from the match.” He interrupts.
“Well Tsukshima doesn’t speak for me. So let’s keep continue our conversation—“
“Well then maybe Y/N can schedule a different time to chat with Bokuto, until then she should focus on the game.” He returns your glare.
Bokuto is growing more worried and before you open your mouth and come up with something else, he holds up his hands, as if that would break up the fight. “Yeah! Uhm…we should schedule a different time to talk, Y/N. Wouldn’t want you missing this..awesome game.”
“Bokuto, what?” You start, your eyes narrowing in confusion. He shakes his head.
“We can talk later.” He grins at you reassuringly. You purse your lips together.
“Fine.” You lean back towards Tsukishima. “What is your deal?” You whisper-hiss in frustration. “That was so rude.”
“Well I didn’t choose to bring you here so you could be spending time with Bokuto. Or was I mistaken?”
“Seriously. Are you so fucking serious right now. You’re pissed at me because I was catching up with a friend?”
“I’m pissed because–I-I don’t know. Because I guess–I wanted to spend time with you.” He admits and you furrow your brows.
“What? Like a date?” You scoff sarcastically and he’s silent.
After a few seconds of silence. Tsukishima rubs his knuckles and keeps his head down, hesitant to respond. Finally, he says, “Yeah. Maybe like a date.” He mumbles and gets up.
You’re stunned as you watch him walk up to the exit “Wait–Kei-” You groan and get up to follow him. You turn around to face Bokuto and Akaashi who were eavesdropping the whole time. But you didn’t care. “Sorry. We can catch up–a..erm..another time. Bye!” You leave immediately and rush to search for Tsukishima.
“Did you hear that Kaashi!?”
You chase Tsukishima into the car garage, chest rising up and down. Curse him and his long legs. “Kei!!” You yell and your voice seems to fall deaf to his ears. He continues walking, his hands stuffed into his pockets. “Tsukishima!” You plea again. Nothing. “Stop being so immature and come talk to me!” He stops suddenly and you almost run right into his chest. You step back and look up at him expectantly.
He has a pout casted upon his face but he looks ashamed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking just storming out there.” He says and rubs his knuckles. His eyes are not looking away from yours.
You stare at him again and smile gently. “If you just wanted to take me out on a date, you could’ve just said so and asked me. Didn’t have to…y’know..keep this a secret to yourself.”
Tsukishima pulls his eyes off of you, “I know. I know I am being very immature right now.” He admits.
He ignores your response and continues, “Is that a bad thing…that I took you out on a…”date” without you knowing?”
“I mean…” You pause and shrug, “I don’t know. I wouldn’t call it a date. But I appreciate your effort.”
He nods and just stares at you before saying, “I’ll, uhm..take you home. We won’t have to..talk about this anymore. Or even bring this up. At all. Just forget about this entire thing.”
“Sure.” You chirped without emotion. For some reason, you felt dismissive about the whole ordeal. As if Tsukishima hadn’t half-way confessed his very confusing feelings towards you.
The ride back home was silent. And awkward. What was there to even say at the moment anyway? You don’t think you have any romantic emotions towards Tsukishima. You never envisioned the two of you together. Holding hands, going on dates, doing normal couple things? You and Tsukishima were far from normal. At least your relationship was.
Once the car halted, the both of you just sat there. In silence.
“Uh..thanks. For taking me out today, Tsukishima.” You begin and look over at him. But his head was already turned towards you, his eyes crinkled with contemplation. What was he thinking about?
“No problem.” Is all he says, his tone seeming careless.
You slowly nod, unbuckle yourself, and open the car door. Before you could step out, Tsukishima's voice cuts through the thick air. “Is there a chance I could try again with a second date?” He says fast, the worlds jumbled up in but still comprehensible.
You pause and there is silence for a good 30 seconds before you smile at him and say, “No. Not really.” You say with finality. “Thank you though, Tsukishima. I appreciate this.” You close the door and walk back up to your apartment.
He doesn’t leave the parking lot for almost 10 minutes, before driving away.
The two of you haven't spoken in a month. Whenever you passed by each other, there were no more sarcastic comments about your outfit, or Tsukishima poking fun at your daydreaming habits. No arguing. No banters. No Tsukishima.
You should feel happy about this newfound silence.
Yet for some reason, without the interactions between you two, it seems like a void has formed. Like something is missing. Not just during your day, but in yourself too.
After almost a month and a half you couldn’t stand it anymore. ‘It’ being the awkward tension that was slowly growing as you and Tsukishima drifted further apart.
Every time you both ran into each other it was a stiff, fleeting moment of staring and silence—and the intrusive thought to say anything, even a compliment, before briefly saying ‘excuse me’ and going in your own direction.
It felt like you lost a piece of yourself. You now put a label on the void that has left a great pain in your heart.
Today you and Tsukishima somehow ended up on cleaning duty, again.
The museum—heavy with tension and quiet tonight, the only sound was the gentle movement of cautious steps. As if you both were afraid to bump into each other. And the occasional dropping of the mop that just wouldn’t lean against the wall correctly.
You collected trash. Piece by piece, before having it assorted into a pile. An idea pops into your head. It’s risky. And scary.
You turn towards the blonde man, who’s lost in his own frenzy of thoughts as he mindlessly mopped at the same spot of the tile.
Hesitation overcomes you. Your hands get clammy, your heart is racing and also somehow plummeted to the bottom of your stomach. Your throat begins to close but you clear it up.
With a wobbly voice you say, “Tsukishima?”
After what felt like centuries, he turns toward you. No words but with that same blank look on his face. But you can see it. That he’s been going through what you feel too.
You continue, “How about we…” you drift off and look down at the pile of junk, “Play a game?” You suggest and look back up at him.
Tsukishima looks at you with a confused expression on his face before faintly smirking. “We haven’t spoken in a month. And this is the first thing you tell me?” He cocks his head to the side with a raised brow.
Warmth spreads to your face before you could shove it back down. Pressing your lips into a firm line you nod. “Well?”
He pauses and ponders. His eyes darted across the room before finally—finally, landing on you.
You smile with satisfaction before whipping around. “It’s sorta like…hmm..true or false?” You held up a chip bag. “We’ll shoot some trash into the bin aaand…whoever makes it gets to ask the person a question. And that person has to answer honestly.” You explain and turn to dissect his reaction.
He blinks rapidly, “What kind of college game is this?” He responds sarcastically.
You frown. “A good one. Just…go along with it.” Tsukishima sighs and nods.
“If you wanted to talk, we could’ve done that in a very adult-like fashion.”
Your shoulders rise up and down as you take a deep breath. “I dunno. I like this more.” You say with finality and a hint of insecurity.
Tsukishima smirks before picking up a styrofoam cup, choosing to follow your game. “You go first.”
You nod and crumble up your chip bag, before throwing. It makes it in. Your body turns towards Tsukishima. You decide to ask something fairly simple.
Tsukishima’s body turns rigid for a second before answering with, “One. He’s older. He is actually getting married soon.”
“How come I never knew that you–”
“Uh uh,” He starts, “It’s my turn.” You let out a breathy chuckle.
The blonde man chucks a piece of trash into the bin. Of course, it makes it in as well. “Hm,” he starts, “Why do you like your coffee so sweet?” He’s playing it safe too.
You snort at the question. “Because it tastes good?” You reply
“Uh–huh.” He responds, unconvinced. “8 shots of vanilla is absurd, Y/N”
You’re shocked at his comment, “What? You drink it black!?”
“No. Sometimes. Rarely. I only use milk.”
“Wowww, you’re so unique!” You mumble sardonically and he frowns.
“Just go. It’s your turn.”
You smile and shrug before throwing a can in. You miss, and you both watch as the metal tin hits the side and falls off. Creating a thud.
“Wait wait! That was a warm up!” You exclaim.
Tsukishima smiles smugly and shakes his head. “It’s my turn. Move aside.” He nudges you playfully, softly. You giggle and nudge him back before moving.
You smell his iconic scent. Somehow, you chase the lingering trace of him. Like he isn’t standing next to you. This game, the laughter, the teasing. It feels familiar, but just…more. Like there has always been this intimacy and tension between the two of you, and that you’re just now starting to feel it.
He tosses his soda can in. To your surprise, it lands right on the rim of the silver bin. You both turn your head to the side in thought. “Does that count?” Tsukishima questions.
“Hmmmm…” You hum and pick up another soda can before throwing it. Somehow, that makes it in whilst also pushing his trash inside too. “Hah! I told you! That miss was a warm up!” You grin in triumph, placing your hands on your hips and looking at Tsukishima as if he were shorter than you.
He plainly rolls his eyes. “So…does this mean we both get to ask a question?”
You shrug, matching his nonchalant behaviour. “Sure.” you grin. “I’ll ask first.” Your grin slowly fades away before turning to face him, arms crossing over your chest. In one breath— “How do you really feel about me?”
Tsukishima's eyes widened in surprise at your forward question. Blood rushes to his face as his brows knit together. “W-What? What do you mean how do I feel about you?”
“I asked what I asked, so you answer how you answer.”
“Stop drifting from the topic, Tsu-ki-shi-ma!!”
He sighs deeply and crosses his arms over his chest as well, mirroring your body. “Well..” He looks down and bites his lip in thought. “I-I think..well–” he stumbles and clears up his throat.
You look up at him in concern, “Do you want to sit down–?”
“No! No. I’m okay. You can’t ask a question so blunt and expect me to reply immediately with how I exactly feel..”
“Don’t apologize. I needed…to be…in a very raw mindset for this moment.”
You smile softly. “We have all the time in the world then.” Your voice is gentle.
He looks at you and smiles back with the same gentleness. “Thank you.” He whispers and sighs through his nose. A few minutes pass by and he clears his throat.
“Y/N,” He starts, “I could be in love with you?” He tests before groaning, “Wait no, ugh…” He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. You put a hand on his folded ones awkwardly. But a clear reminder that there is no rush. He takes in another breath before continuing, “I mean…I am in love with you. And..I might’ve found you annoying in the beginning–” You narrow your eyes and furrow your brows,”‘What? It’s not like I'm lying..”
“Fair...proceed I suppose.” You chirp.
Tsukishima looks down at you, “But..I am in love with your..your everything. Your spontaneous jewelry, the way you’re so quick to make fun of me back when I tease you, how you fix your hair, and the way your eyes crinkle when I say something that hits a nerve–” He stops himself before his spiral continues. “Anyhow, my point is that I am in love with you.”
You stare up at him and you feel how hot your face is.
“And..god..” he whispers underneath his breath and he finally musters up the courage to cup your cheek with one hand, the other hanging lowly by his side. “I love the way you look at me”
You’re officially a mess. A puddle in his hands.
After a few moments you finally find your voice. “I didn’t realize you had these…feelings towards me..” You mumble and subconsciously lean into his warm hand. His thumb carefully swipes your cheek, as if you were something fragile and he’s scared to break you.
“I thought it was obvious I liked you.”
“Well not when you were making fun of me almost everyday.”
Tsukishima shrugs, “Fair.” You respond with a knowing smile. “I still have a question..” He reminds you, you feel yourself groan.
“If you must...” You begrudgingly mutter.
“How do you feel about me?” He mumbles nervously.
You’re left deep in thought. Searching for the correct words to say to him. You awkwardly laugh and put a hand on his chest. “Well..I am..willing to explore…us.” You mumble and smile as you look up at him.
Tsukishima gently brushes your face again in response. He nods, “Yeah,” he whispers. “Yeah.” He finishes with more conclusiveness.
You both didn’t realize how close your bodies were together. Your chest flushed against his, and his other arm was now wrapped around your lower back.
Tsukishima clears his throat, “I’m sorry. Should I let go now?”
You immediately shake your head, “No–no actually don’t let go…” you mumble, “please.” you add on.
The blonde leans down closer to you, “This is looking..inappropriate Y/N.” Tsukishima mumbles into your ear.
“Let go–we’re both still at work mind you.” Tsukishima gently reminds and unwraps his arms before running his fingers through your hair. Untangling it with gentle fingers, and you let him.
“Then we should finish up.” You mumble and he nods.
“Right. Can I drive you home?” Tsukishima asks, his hands remaining on your waist.
“Yeah. I missed my commute anyway.”
“Okay,” He says in a low voice.
You smile, “Okay.” You reply back and say through your grin.
Slowly, Tsukishima leans down and presses a chaste kiss to your forehead, his hands pushing back the loose hairs escaping to the front of your face.
You respond by stepping on the tips of your toes before pressing a kiss on his cheek.
“That’s all I get?” Tsukishima teases and his hands find his way back to your hair.